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. 2024 May 29;14(1):12356.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-60567-9.

Mapping the supportive care needs and quality of life of adult survivors of childhood cancer at a comprehensive cancer center in the Middle East

Nedal Al-Rawashdeh #  1   2 , Rana Damsees #  1   3 , Haneen Abaza #  1 , Khawlah Ammar  1 , Ibrahim Alananzeh  4 , Amal Abu Ghosh  5 , Shireen Al-Awady  5 , Hashem Abu Serhan  1 , Khaled Al-Jafari  1 , Omar Awadallah  1 , Zaid Al-Jafari  1 , Leen Abu Serhan  1 , Sarah Irshaidat  1 , Emad Obeidat  1 , Amal Al-Omari #  6
Affiliations

Mapping the supportive care needs and quality of life of adult survivors of childhood cancer at a comprehensive cancer center in the Middle East

Nedal Al-Rawashdeh et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Assessing unmet needs is crucial to achieving quality care and patient satisfaction. Between September and December 2021, we assessed unmet supportive care needs in a consecutive sample of adult survivors of childhood cancer at KHCC (King Hussien Cancer Center). Two hundred and ninety-seven adult survivors of childhood cancer completed the study questionnaire. The average needs score across all domains was 24.80 (SD = 19.65), with the financial domain scoring the highest 30.39 (SD = 31.95) and sexuality scoring the lowest 7.67 (SD = 19.67). Using a multivariate linear regression model, female gender was independently associated with significantly high scores in all need domains (p < 0.001), except for sexuality. Monthly income, comorbidities, socioeconomic challenges, time since diagnosis, and age at diagnosis have emerged as predictors of needs in many domains. Mean quality of life (QoL) was significantly and inversely associated with the mean score in multiple domains: psychological (p < 0.001), sexuality (p = 0.038), financial (p < 0.001), and overall needs (p = 0.004). Following a content analysis of qualitative data, educational difficulties, and work-related challenges were identified as other unmet needs. Cancer experiences during childhood significantly influence supportive care needs in adulthood. There is a need for more tailored studies assessing different populations of cancer survivors and avoiding the one-size-fits-all survivorship care.

Keywords: Cancer survivors; Childhood; Needs assessment; Quality of life; Supportive care.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overall standardized scores by domain for the modified SCNS-SF (45 items).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Needs identified in qualitative data.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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